The Mass of the Roman Catholic Church
Music Analysis
Chapter 3 Mass
(around pages 52 and 56)
Terms:


Antiphon
Antiphonal
Canticles
Neumatic
Recitation formula
Responsories
Responsorial
DirectMass
Monophonic Trope
Melismatic
Syllabic

Overview
  1. Early forms of Roman Catholic were sermons. Over time the sermons were divided into two parts.
Part one was for baptised Roman Catholics and potential Converts. It contained prayers, readings from the Bible, psalms, and often a sermon.
Part two the catechumens was only for participants confirmed by the church.

2) The Mass evolved
Introduction
Liturgy of the Word Bible readings and Psalms
Liturgy of the Eucharist (Give thanks) Communion offerings prayers

  1. By the 14th century the main musical sections of the Ordinary (Kyrie,Gloria,Credo,Sanctus, and
Agnus Dei) were added.


Proper
Ordinary
Introductory
Section
1 Intriot


4) Collect
2) Kyrie
3) Gloria
Liturgy of the Word
5) Epistle
6) Gradual
7) Alleluia (or Text)
8) Sequence (on major feasts)
9) Gospel
10) Sermon (Spoken)
11) Credo
Liturgy of the Eucharist
12) Offertory


14) Secret
15) Preface


20) Communion
21) Postcommunion
13) Prayers


16) Sanctus
17) Canon
18) Pater Noster (the Lords Prayer)
19) Agnus Dei


22) Ite, missa est
Blue: Sung by Chior Red: Intoned Green: Spoken (fig 3.2 The Mass)

Proper Mass
  1. Texts vary from day to day
  2. Chants called by fuction (what does this mean?)

Ordinary Mass
  1. Texts do not change
  2. Melodies can vary
  3. Chants called by initial words
  4. Sung portions are perfromed by chior (originaly by congregation) monestary all male, convent all female.
  5. Performance of Chant

The Office
A series of 8 servicesoriginating from the Middle Ages celebrated daily at specific times
  1. Office was important for monestaries and convents (Mass and Office observances took several hours a day)
  2. All members sang in the services
Midnight
Sunrise
6
9
12
3
Sunset
9
Midnight
Matins
Prime
Terce
Sext
Nones
Vespers, then Compline

------------------------ Little Hours ------------------------

Conducting offices was different in churches than moestaries and convents.
Instructions codified by St Benedict (530)for monestaries
Offices include psalms with antiphon

Antiphon a chant sung befor and after a psalm
Responsories musicalreponses to bible readings (hymns)
Canticles poetic passages from the bible other than psalms and the prayers


Chant
Antiphonal
Direct
Responsorial
neumatic
melismatic
syllabic
trope




Characteristics:
Singers use three manners of performance
  • Responsorial- soloist alternates with the chior
  • Antiphonal- two groups alternate
  • Direct- without alternation

Characteristics of three styles of text setting
  • syllabic one note to one syllable (99%)
  • neumatic syllables carry one to six notes
  • melismatic long melodic passages on one syllable

Some parts of Mass and Offices are chanted to recitation formulas.
Recitation formula simple melodic outlines that can be used with different texts.
Simple and ornate, chant melodies are vehicles for declaining words. It was easier to undestand words that were sung that spoken in reverberant churches. Melodies reflect the shape and rhythym of text without expression. Every chant melodie is articulated like its coresponding text. (p57) The arch of the phrases parralels the way Latin is spoken.

Sections of Ordinary Mass
Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei


Music Analysis
Chapter 5 Organum